


Lilies, Carnations, Geraniums, Meadowsweet, and Foxglove

by charjo



Category: Cosmere - Brandon Sanderson, Stormlight Archive - Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Multi, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-25 11:03:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9817196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charjo/pseuds/charjo
Summary: Passive aggressive flower bouquets should be more common.





	

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by [this](http://nixhil.tumblr.com/post/145903185509/flower-shop-au) prompt. I'm on a roll with drabbles this weekend, y'all'll have to forgive me. feels a little rushed, constructive criticism is welcome

The shop was quiet that afternoon, which Adolin did not mind at all. Ever since Malasha’s unexpected visit a few days ago, the silence of the flower shop had significantly increased in value to him. It also gave Shallan time to study her history textbooks--she was already overworking herself outside of the shop as it was. She doodled as she read, little fractal patterns and uncannily realistic faces dotting the edges of her notebook paper. Adolin checked the register for the third time.

“Shallan, I think we need to move your pet project to the back room,” he said absently. “The light has moved, and you said it needed maximum sunlight, so it should probably--”

“Yeah, I got it.” Shallan picked up the pot, still scanning the page. “Hey, do you know where we put the--”

The door slammed open, ringing the bell above the door forcefully. A darkeyed man stomped in, making Adolin take an unconscious step backwards. He slammed a bag of spheres on the counter, gaze intense.

“How do you say ‘storm you’ in flower?”

Shallan stared, wide eyed. It was frankly miraculous that she hadn’t dropped the plant she was holding. She really didn’t react well to men yelling at her or making loud noises. Reminded of that, Adolin gathered up enough wits to reply.

“Hey, you want to tone it down?”

“No. I need a bouquet that says ‘storm you’ in whatever storming flower language you use here.” Despite his words, the man relaxed a fraction, his gaze flicking to Shallan’s obviously fearful response. “Sorry. I’m a little upset.”

“We can tell.” Adolin motioned to Shallan, indicating that she could go to the back to recover if she needed to. “That doesn’t give you an excuse to come in and yell at us.”

The man sighed, deflating slightly. “You’re right. I’m sorry, both of you. It’s been…” He huffed. “I’d say it’s been a bad week, but lately most of my weeks have been bad.”

“That’s understandable. I’m Adolin.” He offered his hand to shake. The man took it.

“Kaladin.”

“That’s Shallan. I’m going to wait for her to come back to start your order, she’s better at flower language than I am.”

Kaladin nodded, suddenly seeming awkward. “I really am sorry. There’s… there’s someone back in town that I hoped I’d never see again, and I can’t do anything about it.”

“Ah. I get that. Just don’t let it happen again, all right?”

Kaladin nodded, offering a weak smile. Adolin cursed himself for checking the guy out at such a moment, but he really was not bad looking. At all. In fact, one might even say he was very good looking. Tall, dark, and handsome and all that.

“Okay. I’ve got the meadowsweet, we usually keep that in the back.” Shallan returned, dumping a load of the fluffy-looking white flowers on the counter. She displayed no hint of distress from Kaladin’s earlier outburst. “Adolin, I’m going to need orange geraniums, yellow carnations, and orange lilies.” She chewed on her lip. “We could also add foxglove, but I really feel like that would detract from the eyesore this bouquet is going to be.”

“Or it would contribute.” Adolin rounded the counter to begin picking out the specified flowers.

“This will say ‘storm you’ in flower?” Kaladin asked, sniffing suspiciously at the meadowsweet.

“Yeah. Orange lilies mean hatred, yellow carnations are disappointment, geraniums can mean stupidity, meadowsweet is uselessness, and if we add foxglove, that indicates insincerity.” Shallan looked Kaladin up and down. “Good thing I’m giving it to _you_.”

Adolin winced. Shallan had a habit of picking verbal fights with customers that irritated her. Normally they were either too polite or offended to respond in kind--

“And if I give it right back?” Kaladin asked.

No such luck.

“In that case, I’ll include the foxglove, and I’ll take it to mean that you’re insincere about the insult the other flowers communicate. Do you want a vase?” Shallan brushed by Adolin on her way across the store, expression unreadable.

“I think the question is whether or not _you_ want a vase.”

“Oh, you’re right. It can’t be for you, because you’re the one with the e-vase-ive tactics.”

Adolin listened to their bickering quietly, marveling at the speed of their responses. In this sort of situation, he’d usually run out of retorts and have to resort to lame, childish insults.

“Loser says ‘what’,” Kaladin muttered. Adolin coughed in surprise, trying to mask his laughter.

“Excuse me?”

“Storms.”

Shallan looked like she was biting back a smile as she brought the vase back to the counter. “What was your name again?”

“Kaladin. Sorry, you were in the back when I told Adolin.”

“Nice to meet you. So, Kaladin, would you like to include foxglove or not?”

“Which one’s foxglove?”

Adolin plucked a sprig of it from the display nearby. “This one.”

“Ah. The purple really doesn’t fit with the orange, yellow, and white theme we have going on there, huh?”

“Yep.”

Kaladin considered. “Yeah, I’ll take the foxglove.”

Shallan snickered, beginning to stick flowers in the vase. “Who’s getting this? An ex?”

“Uh, no, not really. An authority figure I used to know back in the day. He’s back, and I can’t really do anything about it, so.” Kaladin gestured to the bouquet. “I’m doing this.”

“Passive aggression. I can appreciate that.” Shallan took the flowers Adolin brought back. “What’d he do?”

“Long story.” Kaladin glanced away, tone more serious. Shallan nodded, accepting his silence.

“Well, if this’ll make you feel better, we’re happy to do this,” Adolin said, tapping at the register. “We don’t get a lot of variety like this very often.”

“Yeah, and it sure beats Adolin’s exes coming in,” Shallan told Kaladin with an air of confidentiality. Adolin felt his face turning red. “Sometimes they yell, and sometimes they come in dragging their latest partner and smugly order some cheesy combination. Most of them glare at me the entire time.”

“Well, joke’s on them,” Adolin said, forcing his tone to be obnoxiously bright. Shallan moved over so he could arrange the flowers. “Someday I’ll have two partners to rub in their faces.”

Shallan grinned at him smugly and Adolin immediately regretted saying anything. Kaladin’s eyebrows raised.

“Oh, we’re both polyamorous,” Shallan explained, smiling at him. “Yeah. We’re dating each other right now, but we’d really like a third person.”

“Really? They allow that here?”

“Well, no,” Adolin admitted, wondering if he could kick Shallan without her making a big deal about it. “We _generally_ don’t tell people about it.”

Shallan rolled her eyes. “Adolin gets his uptightness from his father,” she confided. “But you’re gorgeous and funny and pretty smart, so far, and I know Adolin thinks the same.”

Kaladin snorted, but it looked like he was hiding a smile. “You’re both pretty attractive too. I don’t know if I want to jump into a relationship right now, though.”

“That’s cool.” Shallan fluffed the flowers a bit and stepped back to consider it. “Hm. This is very ugly.”

“It really is,” Kaladin agreed. Adolin nodded, not trusting himself to speak again. “It’s perfect.”

“I’m glad you think so. That’ll be a skymark.” Shallan waggled her eyebrows. “Or a date.”

“Shallan, we can’t do that. And he already said no.”

Kaladin shrugged, smiling slightly. “I didn’t say no, just that I didn’t want to rush into a relationship.”

Both Shallan and Adolin blushed this time, caught off guard.

“I’ll still pay the skymark.” Kaladin dug into his bag, frowning. “I could’ve sworn all of these were infused…”

“I have that problem all the time,” Shallan remarked offhandedly. “It’s okay, we have a loupe to verify.”

“Thanks.” Kaladin handed Adolin a skymark while Shallan brought out the loupe to inspect it.

“It’s good. So, about that date…”

“What time do you two close up shop? One of my friends has been insisting I try this new street food.” Kaladin rolled his eyes. “I don’t know if I’m brave enough to try it by myself.”

“Actually, I think we can close early today,” Adolin said, checking the time. “What do you think, Shallan?”

“Absolutely.” Shallan smiled, already untying her apron. “We can help drop this off first.”

“Sounds good.” Kaladin picked up the vase with both hands while Adolin and Shallan went through the motions of closing up. His nose wrinkled slightly as he stared at it up close.

“This is truly the ugliest bouquet I’ve ever had the fortune of seeing.”

Shallan laughed, looping her arm through his. “And it’s the ugliest bouquet we’ve had the pleasure of making.”

Kaladin smiled, offering his other elbow to Adolin. He hesitated for a moment--what would people say? would they know?--before taking it. They could deal with it. It would be okay.

It gave him a little thrill as they stepped onto the street, waiting for Shallan to attempt to lock up with only one hand. No one gave them a passing glance, and Adolin relaxed slightly. Shallan successfully locked the door, and they began making their way down the street awkwardly, careful to not drop the vase.

It wouldn’t do to let the blessed monstrosity that brought them together be destroyed.


End file.
